Splitting the difference between talky post-punk and vibrant pop-punk, LA trio Cuffed Up have been gathering steam since the 2021 release of their Silversun Pickups–cosigned Asymmetry EP. After announcing their signing to Hit the North Records late last year, they officially revealed plans for their debut record through the label shortly after, with All You Got finally landing today. And the title lays it all out for the listener: These 10 songs see co-vocalists Ralph Torrefranca and Christina Apostolopoulos (backed by drummer Joe Liptock) putting everything they’ve got both vocally and lyrically into these barbed recordings taking aim at everything from internet trolls and IRL bullies to the cycles of self-destruction fueled by social media and other late-capitalist schemes.
“We’re pinned down at the bottom of the barrel,” Torrefranca and Apostolopoulos share when describing the ethos behind the new album’s title track and the accompanying songs that precede it while walking us through All You Got track by track, “waving the flag of the underdog who’s been given up on as the world has decided they’re nothing special.” While dipping their toes in punk, these are songs less about raging against the machine than they are about looking that machine in the eye and seeing yourself in its reflection for who you really are instead of how it needs you to see yourself in order to profit off your insecurity.
Stream along and check out Torrefranca and Apostolopoulos’ track descriptions below. You can also order the album here.
1. “Finer Things”
Ralph: The song initially came into the universe after my first date with the person that would eventually become my spouse/life partner. The verses of the song describe the undeniable bolt of lightning that shoots down your body when you meet someone you’re absolutely infatuated with. The song talks about the pure pheromones of attraction that excite you more than anything you’ve ever experienced and the overwhelming rush you experience in the first stages of dating. The chorus is a massive realization that this person can potentially be “the one” person you’ve been searching for your whole life.
2. “Small Fry”
Christina: A small fry is, simply put, a bully. Anyone who’s in a position of power that uses that power to bend others to their will without any concern for their well-being. There are so many examples of this, in and outside of the music industry. “You should put it on your resume” is a tongue-in-cheek suggestion from the proletariat, implying that their methods of retaining power won’t last long.
3. “Little Wins”
Ralph: We all set really unhealthy definitions of what “success” is supposed to look like, constantly comparing ourselves to others. We start our own little businesses or throw ourselves into a career with really high expectations only to be met by what we think is “failure,” but it’s really not that. It’s the lack of grace that we give ourselves because social media has trained us to compare each other’s worth, glorifying the rat race of life rather than practicing gratitude. “Little Wins” is about focusing less on the losses and more on the baby steps that have brought us the success that we have now.
4. “Mock Dance”
Ralph: This song goes out to all the wildly self-conscious and spineless trolls that hide behind a screen. The internet has turned many of us into untrustworthy, ruthless monsters. We basically “peacock” and “perform” our fake identities online because we’re too obsessed about how people see us. Then we complete the transformation as we spew irrational and hateful ideas at each other online, cowardly hiding away until it’s time to spew more bullshit. Ironically these trolls will bob their heads to the song because it’s so catchy, but I hope they’ll take time to read the damn lyrics! Maybe look at themselves in the mirror.
5. “Hello, Dear Passion”
Ralph: This song is the spiritual companion piece to the title track, which is why this bookends the first side of the vinyl! It’s a passionate open call to anyone who’s ever been wrongfully counted out, given up on, or abandoned by their so-called trusted confidants in their lives. Although this pain is hurtful, the song also preaches gratitude in the journey itself.
6. “The Feeling”
Ralph: An open call to cross both sides of the aisle to understand what the fuck is wrong with the world. The song proposes a radical question that could inject some desperately needed humanity into the thick hatred of politics: How is the other side feeling?
7. “Meet the End”
Christina: This is the tough-love anthem for your friend who’s perpetually choosing the wrong people to date. They can’t get past three weeks of seeing someone. You watch as their self-destruction extends into other areas of their life, and you want to shake them out of it. There’s an anger and a helplessness in trying to save someone who doesn’t want to be helped.
8. “Puppet”
Ralph: Some parts of this plays to the romantic, daydreaming of a lovely future together, but one can also see this as an unhealthy obsession. Either way, the feelings are big, and the declarations are bold. There’s no denying it: Infatuation is at an all-time high for this one.
9. “Love Is”
Christina: This is a portrait of, and a love poem to, our high school selves. We trudged along, quiet and observant, with music being the only thing that saved us. Romantic love is a new concept—we’re plagued with non-sexual dreams of grazing someone’s hand in the hallway, or the ultimate: a first kiss. We have all of the feelings and we don’t know what to name them, but it doesn’t make them any less real.
10. “All You Got”
Ralph and Christina: As the title track and spiritual ethos to the entire album, the song is a cathartic exhale to abandonment. We’re pinned down at the bottom of the barrel, waving the flag of the underdog who’s been given up on as the world has decided they’re nothing special. The catharsis happens in the bridge as we repeat “You’re the mess that made this,” the first time around thinking we’re pointing fingers at the abandoners when in fact it’s a desperate plea to ourselves—that we don’t need to accept this as anything other than a blip in the long, epic journey that is our lives, and that we’re the only ones who can hold ourselves above ground.
